SELF-REPORTED COMPONENTS OF SELF-IDENTITY IN PERSONS LIVING WITH EARLY-STAGE DEMENTIA

Abstract The impending loss of “self” is a common concern of persons diagnosed with dementia. However, in contrast to the traditional biomedical model, there is qualitative and quantitative evidence that self-identity persists across stages of the disease. An understanding of the components of self-identity of persons living with early-stage dementia (PLWED) can inform treatment approaches and communication from care partners and providers. Consequently, the aim of the present study is to examine what PLWED identify as the facets of their self-concept. Participants were a purposive sample of 20 community-dwelling PLWED who attended a voluntary health program aimed at facilitating aging-in-place. Focus groups were conducted and recorded on-site at the health program. The interviews were transcribed verbatim from the audio recordings and were analyzed through a conventional content analysis approach. Content analysis of the narratives gleaned from focus group participants revealed six self-identity themes: vocation, family role, personal characteristics, hobbies and interests, religious affiliation, and social networks. Although the deterioration of explicit memory, including autobiographical memory, is a hallmark of dementia, overfocusing on this as the sole component of self-identity contributes to the representation of persons living with dementia as less than whole and lacking “selves.” Our findings suggest critical components of self-identity other than memory that should be recognized and supported in persons living with dementia.


PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND DEMENTIA PREVENTION: THE ROLE OF HEALTH COGNITIONS AMONG 50+ HEALTHY INDIVIDUALS IN ISRAEL
Offer Edelstein, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, HaDarom, Israel Background: Although dementia cannot be cured, it can be prevented by adopting various health behaviors, including regular physical activity.The current study sought to i) estimate the participation of Israel-born healthy individuals aged 50 years or older in regular physical activity; ii) assess the associations linking Health Belief Model variables (Rosenstock, 1966(Rosenstock, , 1974) ) and engagement in regular physical activity.Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2021-2022, using online convenience sampling.The study included 328 Israel-born participants aged 50 years or older.Physical activity was assessed by asking whether participants regularly engaged in physical activity (type of activities/times per week/minutes).Cognitive perceptions were assessed using the Motivation to Change Lifestyle and Health Behaviors for Dementia Risk Reduction questionnaire (Kim et al., 2014).

Results:
The average weekly minutes of physical activity was 165.62 (S.D. 176.17), whereas only 43.6% performed 150 minutes of physical activity weekly.A multivariate linear regression indicated that among all of the model's variables, perceived severity (β=-.204,p<.001), cues to action (β=.134, p<.001), feminine gender (β=-.155,p<.01), and low income (β=-.113,p<.05)emerged as significant predictors of weekly minutes of physical activity.The model explained 14.2% of the variance in the performance of weekly minutes of physical activity [F(7,320) The impending loss of "self" is a common concern of persons diagnosed with dementia.However, in contrast to the traditional biomedical model, there is qualitative and quantitative evidence that self-identity persists across stages of the disease.An understanding of the components of self-identity of persons living with early-stage dementia (PLWED) can inform treatment approaches and communication from care partners and providers.Consequently, the aim of the present study is to examine what PLWED identify as the facets of their self-concept.Participants were a purposive sample of 20 community-dwelling PLWED who attended a voluntary health program aimed at facilitating aging-in-place.Focus groups were conducted and recorded on-site at the health program.The interviews were transcribed verbatim from the audio recordings and were analyzed through a conventional content analysis approach.Content analysis of the narratives gleaned from focus group participants revealed six self-identity themes: vocation, family role, personal characteristics, hobbies and interests, religious affiliation, and social networks.Although the deterioration of explicit memory, including autobiographical memory, is a hallmark of dementia, overfocusing on this as the sole component of self-identity contributes to the representation of persons living with dementia as less than whole and lacking "selves."Our findings suggest critical components of self-identity other than memory that should be recognized and supported in persons living with dementia.

EMPOWERING ALL AGES THROUGH INTERGENERATIONAL CONNECTION AND LIFELONG LEARNING
Chair: Lisa Hollis-Sawyer Discussant: Laura Donorfio This symposium will share a variety of pedagogical approaches designed to foster age-inclusivity and intergenerational learning.The authors will share research and outcomes of different educational designs utilizing intergenerational programming and other approaches to engage older and younger adult learners.The first presentation will explore how intergenerational discussions can be used in the classroom to facilitate collaborative learning among older adults, students, and instructors.The second presentation will discuss the development of a course abroad in Scotland called "Global Aging & Age-Friendly Initiatives," aiming to promote intergenerational connection and global age-inclusivity.The third presentation will discuss "Between Islands," an intergenerational virtual contact intervention designed to promote creativity and intergenerational connection between younger and older adults while challenging stereotypes about aging.The fourth presentation will explore the experiences of emeriti faculty in engaging online with Introduction to Gerontology students in a novel intergenerational classroom activity.The final presentation will review intergenerational classroom design guidelines to optimize multiple generations' learning experiences, aging understanding/appreciation of others, and age-inclusivity.The empowerment and benefits of these efforts for the life-long learning of the generations involved will be discussed.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN FOR INTERGENERATIONAL AND AGE-INCLUSIVE LEARNING: LESSONS FROM A GERONTOLOGY CLASSROOM Lisa Hollis-Sawyer, Northeastern Illinois University (Chicago), Chicago, Illinois, United States
The paper will present a multi-year research study that examined the learning needs of first-generation younger and older learners in a graduate-level online learning environment.Ageism and related stereotyping will be reviewed as concepts that reflect a potentially biased understanding of all age groups that should be addressed in intergenerational learning activities.Students' perceptions of understanding aging issues and stereotypes were compared pre-and post-course.A model will be presented about designing an age-inclusive, age-friendly online course design utilizing intergenerational learning activities to optimize learning outcomes while reducing ageist assumptions through targeted virtual discussions about diversity perceptions in the classroom-the design of intergenerational engagement discussion and other learning assignment activities in an introductory graduate gerontology course.Implications for creating intergenerational programming will be discussed.

CONNECTING THE DOTS: COLLABORATIVE LEARNING AMONG OLDER ADULTS, STUDENTS, AND INSTRUCTORS Caitlin Reynolds, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
Although the aging process is a universal phenomenon, misconceptions regarding late adulthood are prevalent, such as loneliness and dependency, which often lead to negative stereotypes and poor developmental outcomes (Kotter-Grühn, 2015); thus, it is important to minimize these stereotypes in an educational platform.Intergenerational discussions have been shown to be a robust approach in reducing stereotypes (Canedo-García et al., 2017;Golenko et al., 2019); especially if it is used to dismantle "othering" the groups by creating community and collectivist perspectives (D'Antonio, 2020).My goal is to explore how intergenerational discussions can be used in the classroom to facilitate collaborative learning among older adults, students, and instructors.In the Fall 2022 and Spring 2023 semesters, I partnered with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) to connect undergraduate students with older adults from the community.The course centered around the students' social innovation project-address how current systems may not adequately support older adults and propose a creative solution.The students interviewed the OLLI members throughout the semester about course content (e.g., their awareness of age-related discrimination and barriers in their community).At the end of the semester, students used their accumulated information from both the OLLI members and the course material to propose their social innovation to the OLLI members.The OLLI members asked questions, made recommendations, and highlighted limitations in the students' work.I observed collaborative thinking and sharing across both groups during these presentations.Overall, intergenerational discussions were a valuable tool in the classroom.Guided by the AFU framework to promote age inclusivity in higher education, many programs and services at CCSU have been expanded to encourage the participation of older

0081 SELF-REPORTED COMPONENTS OF SELF-IDENTITY IN PERSONS LIVING WITH EARLY-STAGE DEMENTIA Natalie Regier 1 , and Valerie Cotter 2 , 1. Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, 2. Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Andrea June, and Carrie Andreoletti, Central Connecticut State University, New Britain, Connecticut, United States In 2017, Central Connecticut State University (CCSU) joined the Age-Friendly University (AFU) global network.